The present invention relates generally to containers for holding and storing various tool or other such items, and more particularly to such containers adapted for holding and storing elongated tool items, such as drill bits, driver bits, and the like, as well as chucks or extensions for such bits. In addition, the present invention relates to such containers that are adapted to be placed on a work surface or hung or suspended on a hook or other elongated external member, while providing convenient access to, and dispensing of, the tool items in the container.
Various display and storage chests, boxes, cases, and other such containers have been provided in the past for holding, storing, and dispensing tool items, such as drill bits, driver bits, or other similar elongated tool items. Frequently, such containers have included a base portion with some sort of hinged cover movable between closed and open positions in order to contain or provide access to the contents. However, many of such previous containers have presented various disadvantages, such as their inability to sufficiently grip the tool items so they do not fall out of their tool bit receptacles when the case or container is tipped or turned sideways or upside down. Other disadvantages of such prior containers include hinged covers that when opened are unsightly, occupy too much space, or inordinately interfere with work operations being performed nearby. In addition, such previous cases have often had exposed, external hinges for the hinged cover that are unsightly and easily broken or damaged while performing work operations in the vicinity of the container, as well as potentially interfering with such operations. Finally, such previous containers have often been difficult, time-consuming or unduly expensive to injection mold or otherwise produce.
The present invention seeks to overcome the disadvantages of the previous containers as outlined above. Accordingly, a container for holding a plurality of elongated tool items includes a base and a hinged cover, with the base having a first or lower base portion with a plurality of tool item openings for removably receiving one or more tool items and a second or upper base portion protruding from the first base portion and to form a generally L-shaped configuration. The hinged cover includes at least one and preferably two stop tabs protruding from an edge area such that when the cover is pivotally moved between its fully closed position with the stop tab or tabs abutting the second or upper base portion and a fully open position wherein the stop tabs abut the first or lower base portion, the cover is maintained in its proper position and orientation. In a preferred form of the invention, the first or lower base portion has an elongated cover-receiving opening formed adjacent its edges such that the cover is substantially completely enclosed within the first or lower base portion when in the fully open position. The preferred hinge assembly for pivotally interconnecting the cover and the base resides within a hollow interior space in the base so that the hinge is substantially enclosed within the interior of the first or lower base portion and protected from damage therein. By way of these arrangements, the hinge and cover are protected within the lower base portion so they cannot be easily damaged during the course of performing work operations in the vicinity of the cover, as well as being out of the way in order to avoid interfering with such work operations.
The preferred cover has at least one discontinuity, preferably in the form of an elongated rib, extending along a portion of its inside surface in order to provide an interference that minimizes or substantially eliminates small tool items housed within the container from sliding out of the tool item openings when the container is turned sideways or upside down. In addition, the cover is preferably transparent or at least translucent or semi-transparent so that the tool items are at least partially visible when the cover is in its closed position.
As mentioned above, the preferred first or lower base portion is at least partially hollow and includes a plurality of generally cylindrical hollow protrusions that extend generally inwardly into the interior space, with the hollow cylindrical protrusions opening into the exterior side of the base and thus serving as receptacles for the tool items in the first or lower base portion. These hollow cylindrical tool item-receiving protrusions each include at least one and preferably two or more flat interior surfaces extending longitudinally within the hollow cylinder and generally parallel to the cylinder's centerline axis in order to grippingly engage tool items having a wide variety of cross-sectional shapes. In addition, the exterior surface of such generally cylindrical hollow protrusions preferably converge from a relatively larger exterior diameter portion generally adjacent the interior surface of the first or lower base portion to a relatively smaller exterior diameter portion generally adjacent the free end wall of the hollow cylindrical protrusion. This results in the exterior surface of each of the cylinder walls intersecting the interior surface of the first or lower base portion at a draft angle of greater than 90 degrees. Such improved draft angle is highly advantageous during the injection molding or other such production methods used to manufacture the container according to the present invention. Finally, the preferred base includes a number of gauging or sizing openings formed therein for gauging or sizing drill bits, driver bits, or other tool items. Such gauging openings are preferably located on the first or lower base portion in such a position to be exposed regardless of the open or closed position of the hinged pivotal cover.
Additional objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.